Michael Hitchcock: TV's Busiest Bee

by Louis Peitzman TV.com Staff Writer 03/29/10 11:58 AM  

Hitchcock is disgusted... but not with his Tara costar, John Corbett.

You may not immediately recognize the name Michael Hitchcock, but there’s a good chance you’d know his face. The very funny character actor is best known for his work in the Christopher Guest mockumentaries (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind), but he’s recently found himself getting his fair share of TV exposure. I spoke to Hitchcock about his new role on Showtime’s United States of Tara, as well as his work on Men of a Certain Age, Glee, and just about everything else.  

TV.com: You’ve been doing a ton of TV work recently—Glee, Men of a Certain Age, and now United States of Tara. Do you have any downtime?

Michael Hitchcock: Well, I have downtime at the moment, but when we were shooting United States of Tara, there were days when I would literally go from the Tara set over to Men of a Certain Age on the same day. There was one time when Glee was shooting then, too, so it was a little weird to go from very different characters. But it’s kind of like the best problem an actor can have—it’s a wealth of riches. Three different shows that were incredibly well written. Each of the writing staffs and the producing staffs on the shows are just top-notch. You can’t get much better, with United States of Tara, having Diablo Cody write your dialogue. And not just her—Jill Soloway has an amazing career from Six Feet Under and other shows. Much of the writing staff came from Six Feet Under, so they are just pedigree writers. And the same with Men of a Certain Age—you have a lot of the Everybody Loves Raymond people, and they are just amazing writers. And Glee, those guys are just—I don’t know how they do it. They’re phenoms. Three people write every episode of that show: Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. An hour shoot that three people write is highly unusual.  

Your character on United States of Tara just appeared at the beginning of the second season. What can you tell us about him?  

My character’s name is Ted Mayo. He is Tara’s next-door neighbor. He is gay, and his partner is a 28-year-old Egyptian, so we definitely have a little May-December romance going on. Which is really fun to play. We’re kind of like the neighborhood curiosities, as is Tara, because of Tara’s thing. So we kind of bond because we all know that the neighbors talk about us. And without giving too much away, I talk a lot about a therapist I used to have back in New York, which figures into the plot a little bit later on.  

Tara’s son Marshall is a young gay teenager. Does Ted fulfill a sort of role model position for him?  

That’s sort of partly why he’s created. The show itself is extremely gay-friendly and extremely gay-sensitive. Marshall is a gay character. Later on in the season, I will be a little bit of a father figure to him. That will figure into the second half of the season. And we were sort of there as role models to go, you can end up with a partner, you can end up having a life, it isn’t just about high school. That being said, what’s so brilliant about the way they write the show is that every relationship is very complicated. Every character has things that are happening, so that’s what I love about the writing. My character is very grounded. He’s in a good space. And then things will happen later, just like in real life—bad things happen and you have to learn how to deal with it. It’s not just happening with the main core family members, but with almost every single character on the show.  

This year, Marshall, which is kind of politically incorrect, which I actually really like, he’s experimenting a little bit with a girl, and trying to figure out what that’s all about. The girl, who’s played by Zosia Mamet, is this fantastic girl who kind of bullies him into going out with her. And it’s really an interesting dynamic that happens a lot. And then you also have another new gay character, played by Michael Willett, who’s kind of the loudmouth of the whole high school, out and proud and doesn’t give a shit what anybody thinks. And he’s leading Marshall in different directions, too. So there’s a lot of tugging going on. Meanwhile, one of Tara’s alters, Buck, who is a man, is having a relationship with a woman, played by Joey Lauren Adams. So it’s gay in the sense that it’s Tara, but it’s really her alter. There’s a lot of interesting gray areas and fluidity with people’s sexuality.  

Your character has a good relationship with Tara, but what about your interaction with her alters? How do they figure into the mix?  

I do see them and I’m aware of them. But I think what’s so interesting with Tara and her alters is—obviously, it’s about what it’s about, multiple personalities. But on a grander scheme, it’s about accepting so many different parts of yourself and how hard that is. I think we all need to accept not only each other, but also the various parts within us. She literally does compartmentalize different aspects of life, and she’s trying not to do that anymore. ‘Cause almost everyone she meets on the show, there’s something going on, and you have to accept them or not accept them. The whole show is so much about accepting what life hands you and accepting others as they are.

I wanted to talk a little about Party Down, which is another show you’ll be appearing on. It’s very funny and critically acclaimed, but it kind of gets lost in the shuffle.  

I think it’s going to get more and more not lost in the shuffle as time goes on. That is such a funny show. I’m going to be playing the head of the catering company in a couple of the later episodes of this season. He kind of failed to the top, and he’s really fun to play. He’s just so stupid and kind of full of himself but having a good time. So he’s a clueless guy and really, really fun to play. And those guys are a relaxed, easy, fun set, with great actors and great improvisers.  

Party Down is pretty much a straight comedy, but the other shows we’ve been discussing—United States of Tara, Men of a Certain Age, even Glee—have definite dramatic elements. What appeals to you about that blend of comedy and drama?  

It’s more real. With Men of a Certain Age, there are so many gentle moments within the show. It’s not huge problems, per se, but it’s everyday problems for everybody. What I like about that show is, my character’s a bit of a boob who doesn’t know it. And then later, they write in more depth about this guy, who’s a successful guy but he really wants Scott Bakula’s life. Scott Bakula’s a guy who can barely scrape two nickels together, but I idealize him, because he’s a bachelor who I think is leading this fantastic life, but he really isn’t. People always want what they can’t have. You always think the grass is greener, and I think they do that extremely well on that show.  

On Glee, it can be the silliest thing ever and then, me personally, I can be watching that show and laughing my butt off and then start crying. I remember on the pilot of Glee, watching it, and Lea Michele’s character is walking down the hallway, and you get to know her a bit, she’s kind of the diva of the school. And then she gets a slushie thrown in her face. I think most people laughed. I started to cry, because I felt so sorry for her. What I loved that they wrote for my character, who is the choir director for the school of the deaf, he really wants the best for his kids and he’s very passionate about getting the best for his kids, and he’s a complete underdog. Obviously, you find out later, he’s willing to cheat to get them to where they’re going to go, but he really believes in them and in their talent and in what they do. And I think that’s what Glee does so well.  

And Tara is just exploring so many issues. Diablo has done such a great job of packing so much into a half-hour. It can be extremely funny and then extremely heartfelt, with the depth that Toni Collette brings to her character. It’s amazing. Watching her is like going to acting school every day, the best acting school ever. The whole cast is incredible. Keir Gilchrist, who plays Marshall, you forget sometimes he’s 16-years-old, because he’s so good. And John Corbett’s just hilarious and funny. And Rosemarie DeWitt, who plays Charmaine, Tara’s sister, is another one who is so focused and so good at playing the put-upon sister.  

You do play a lot of these supporting roles. Would a starring role appeal to you, or is there something you like about being a bit on the side?  

Certainly a starring role would appeal to me, but I love to play what I’ve gotten to play. I’ve been lucky, with Christopher Guest and that whole ensemble. It’s just one of life’s honors to get to do that. And then with these other things, I love coming in and doing what I do, and contributing to the overall mix. I read a lot of sitcoms or whatever, and I don’t want to play the boring dad with dumb problems. Sometimes it’s a lot more fun to play the neighbor or the person down the street.  

To be honest, I’m almost always more drawn to the supporting characters. They’re often the most interesting.  

As long as they give them something to do.  But I’ve been very lucky with all three of those shows this past year, because the writers are so good that every supporting character has something to do besides walk in and deliver exposition. With all of these roles, there’s a quirkiness to them; there’s a bit of sadness to them, which I like a lot.  And each one of them exemplifies part of the human struggle, which I’m realy drawn to.  That’s the type of movie or TV show that I like.  It’s been a real pleasure to show up at these places and get to do what I do.  

WWW.GLEEKREPORT.COM

Exclusive GleekReport Q&A: Michael Hitchcock

In episode 1.11, “Hairography,” you may remember Mr. Dalton Rumba, the half-deaf choir director of Haverbrook School for the Deaf, played by the hilarious Michael Hitchcock. Michael easily had some of the best lines from that episode, and will return as Mr. Rumba in the upcoming fall finale episode, “Sectionals.” Some of his more notable roles have been in the Christopher Guest ensemble movies, Best In Show and A Mighty Wind (both including Glee cast-member Jane Lynch).

As a writer, Michael helped pen the screenplay for the critically-acclaimed drama, and acting debut of Will Smith, Where the Day Takes You (1992); the movie also included another Glee recurring guest-star, Stephen Tobolowsky. He wrote the 1996 movie, House Arrest, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Pollack; and was a writer for MADtv from 1999-2007, earning 3 WGA Award nominations during that time.

Michael was gracious enough to correspond with GleekReport.com for an exclusive interview about his extensive career, his role on Glee, and his plan to get more Twitter followers than Ashton Kutcher.

gR: In Glee, you play Dalton Rumba, the choir director at Haverbrook School for the Deaf. Can you tell us how your role on Glee came about? Did you have to audition for it, or was Jane Lynch whispering in Ryan Murphy’s ear?

I gladly auditioned for it. Like millions of other Gleeks, I became a big fan of the show after watching the pilot last May. I related to the show instantly. First of all, I was born in Defiance, Ohio… a short drive to Lima, Ohio, where the show is set. My family later moved to the Chicago suburbs, and, as a teenager, I became a high school theater nerd – so the whole high school hierarchy portrayed in Glee really hit home with me.

I was also incredibly impressed with how the creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan brilliantly went from high comedy to really touching scenes at almost the drop of a hat.

So much of Glee is about celebrating your uniqueness… about dignity and respect. “Dalton Rumba” is looking for his own share of dignity and respect. He really believes in his deaf choir – a group who prove to be very talented. I love playing the underdog.

gR: What was your Glee experience like?

It was an extremely positive experience. The cast, producers, and crew went out of their way to welcome me and make me feel at home. Everyone was very friendly and very funny — a relaxed, happy set. And, of course, it’s always great to hang out with Jane Lynch, who I’ve known since shooting “Best In Show” with her.

Between takes for “Hairography,” the very talented Glee piano player, Brad Ellis, helped me learn the chords to “Imagine” so my character could be shown playing it on the piano. I really appreciated him taking the time to do that. I was also impressed with Eve, who was very sweet and even brought her mom to the set when we were shooting “Sectionals.”

I was very, very impressed with how hard the “New Directions” cast worked — practicing the various musical numbers, finessing the choreography, recording new material, and then, during actual shooting – doing each number several times for the various camera angles. A real workout! I was glad my character got to sit on a stool most of the time!

Working with the deaf choir was a great experience as well. The kids, who were all actually deaf or hearing-impaired, were really cool. And I learned a lot from them – for example, I didn’t know until shooting Glee that some people sign right-handed, and others left-handed, and that there are even “accents” when using sign language.

gR: Was it difficult to juxtapose your humorous role as a deaf choir director with the heart-warming performance of an actual hearing-impaired choir?

Yes and no. Although there was certain humor in my character being half-deaf, I didn’t want “Dalton Rumba” to come across as a caricature and I strove to keep the character grounded. I wanted most of his humor to come from his put-upon, I-deserve-respect nature. And since he really believed in his choir’s talent, I also strove to make sure this comes across.

It was very easy to be moved by the deaf choir’s performance, because it was so good. The first time I saw it, I got very emotional. I don’t think there was anybody – cast or crew – that wasn’t teary-eyed during the shoot. I was hoping that the Haverbrook Deaf Choir performance would be as powerful on television as it was watching it live, and I was glad to see that it was.

gR: I’ve alluded to your past work with Jane Lynch. What was it like working with her again?

Seeing Jane is like seeing one of your favorite cousins… it’s like a mini-family reunion every time we’re together.

gR: Several of the younger Glee cast members complain that they can barely get through a scene with Jane without cracking up. Are you two immune to each other now, or do you try to push the other one to crack?

We don’t push each other to crack the other up (remember, there’s about a hundred crew members standing around and every take costs literally thousands of dollars), but she DID make me almost break when she ad-libbed the line “I assume you read lips. Read these.” She is brilliant, and I’d bet good money that she’s going to be nominated for an Emmy this year.

gR: In addition to the many, many projects you’ve acted in on TV and in movies, you’re also a seasoned writer for both mediums. If you were stranded on a desert island, which would you do: act or write (I may have mixed hypotheticals there)?

Well, if I was stranded on a desert island, it would probably be a one-man show no matter what – so maybe I could write it, then act it out for the island animals (or the cast of LOST).

gR: How does each expression (writing and acting) influence the other for you professionally?

Writing makes me really appreciate how much time and effort goes into a production before the cameras roll – every line is written and re-written so many times before an actor even sees it; and, on the flip side, when acting, I want to take what’s on the page and honor the words and the intention of the writers.

gR: You joined Twitter in July. What do you make of the whole social networking trend, and how does it affect your professional career moving forward? More importantly, when do you plan to surpass Ashton Kutcher in Twitter followers?

I have a love/hate affair with Twitter. I usually write things that make me laugh, thinking no one else is reading them, and I’m always a little surprised when they do. As far as surpassing Ashton Kutcher in Twitter followers, I fully expect to surpass him in a week or two.

gR: You’ll be on Glee again on December 9 for the fall finale, “Sectionals.” Will we see Dalton Rumba take advantage of his knowledge of McKinley High’s set list?

Hah! Watch and find out!

gR: The same week as Glee’s fall finale, you can also be seen in the TNT premiere (December 7, at 10pm) of Ray Romano’s new project, Men of a Certain Age. Can you tell us a little bit about the show and your role on it?

I play Scott Bakula’s boss, “Dave.” Scott Bakula plays a mostly-out-of-work actor whose day job is temping at my accounting office. My character looks up to him, and wishes that he could have what he perceives to be Scott’s easy-going bachelor lifestyle. It’s a great show, and I hope you watch it.

gR: Are there any other projects you’re working on that you’d like to share with us?

I’m very excited to be playing Toni Collette’s next door neighbor “Ted Mayo” in the second season of United States of Tara premiering March 22 on Showtime. You probably know that Toni won the Emmy this year for U.S. of Tara, and the show’s creator is the Academy Award winning writer of Juno, Diablo Cody.

I’ll also be appearing a couple of times next season on the very funny Starz series Party Down. Jane Lynch and I actually appear together on an episode of that, too. And this New Year’s I’ll be going overseas to do comedy improvisation for deployed U.S. troops.  

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Saturday, January 16, 2010

WWEPW Interviews Michael Hitchcock  

There comes a time in every pop culture devotee’s life when worlds collide, and for me that moment happened on a Wednesday night in November. Teasers for the next episode of Glee revealed the appearance of actor Michael Hitchcock, whose career I’d followed for nearly fifteen years, after seeing him in my favorite film, Waiting For Guffman. I’m not sure what sounds came out of me when I saw that he would be appearing on Glee, but I am sure they did not befit a woman of my age. Or species.  

Michael Hitchcock plays Dalton Rumba, choir director at the Haverbrook School for the Deaf, clad in a bow tie and horn-rimmed glasses, with a determination to give his kids a voice. Take away the quirky costume, and you’ll find a talent like no other. The man oozes versatility. Whether he's fawning over Corky St. Clair in Guffman, or hearing confession as Father Eduardo in the brilliant-but-cancelled Pushing Daisies, Hitchcock is a master of timing and subtlety. He steals every scene. In addition to his acting credits, Michael is an accomplished writer. During his time as a writer at MADtv, the show earned three Writer’s Guild of America nominations for Outstanding Writing of a Comedy/Variety Series.

Michael was kind enough to take time to correspond with me recently about his own high school experience, working on Glee, and a few of his current projects.  

WWEPW: Let's start with a topical question. Who are you wearing?  

MH: Right now, sweats because I just worked out! But I'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy, so I usually wear casual stuff from stores like Banana Republic and J Crew.  

WWEPW: Glee has turned itself from the little-high-school-dramedy-that-could into a show that appeals to a much wider audience. What's your take on the show from the perspective of an actor and writer?  

MH: GLEE has been one of the most creatively fun shows I've done in a long time. The writer/producers Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan are all very funny people, so the scripts are very biting - and just when you're ready to laugh at something, they take a wild turn and the show becomes very poignant. I was a fan of the show before appearing on it as Dalton Rumba. There was a moment in almost every episode that made me tear up.  

WWEPW: Like the characters on Glee, you're from Ohio! What was your own high school experience like? At that time, where did you see your future self?  

MH: I was born in Defiance, Ohio, which is about a half hour away from Lima, where the show is set. I have been in Lima many times. In fact, I still have relatives who live there. My family moved to the Chicago suburbs when I was in sixth grade, so my high school years were no longer in the Buckeye State - but still very solid Midwest. My high school had 5,000 students - it was, and still is, so big that the school is broken up into two campuses. I was into drama and band and all the other geeky stuff, so I can definitely relate to what the kids in New Directions are going through. I remember during my Freshman year, a large kid picked me up, threw me against a locker and shouted at me, "Tell me you're ugly." Since he was huge and I weighed about 3 pounds, I did what I was told. Satisfied with my answer, he dropped me on the floor and went on his way. Strangely, I didn't really hold it against him since I'd never met him before and I knew it was nothing personal. I was his entertainment for the hour!  

Luckily for me, our town had a great community theater, and I also directed and wrote our school's annual student comedy/variety show that raised money for the student union. As far as the future, I knew I wanted to do something in entertainment, whether it be writing, directing or acting -- but moving to Los Angeles seemed like a dream - something out of reach. It wasn't until I was at Northwestern University, where I majored in Television and Film production, did I begin to think about actually making the move.  

WWEPW: Glee walks the line with sensitive topics, but treats them so carefully that nothing ever feels disrespectful, even when we're laughing. Your role as rival show choir director Dalton Rumba was hilarious and touching. How did you approach this role? Will we see you on Glee again?  

MH: When I read the part of Dalton Rumba, I knew I wanted to play him. He had an underdog quality that I always find fascinating in people. He was full of indignation that the kids he taught weren't getting a fair shake, from McKinley High, and quite possibly the world! During my character breakdown of Dalton I wanted to bring these qualities out and give them nuance. Since Dalton's school Haverbrook lost to McKinley at Sectionals, there is no need for Dalton to come back in the second part of this season, but I'm hoping the producers find an excuse to have him show up at some point - he's really fun to play!  

WWEPW: Your work with improv troupe the Groundlings led to memorable roles in Christopher Guest's films. Fans of your work in these movies went bonkers with excitement when you appeared in previews for "Hairography." I'm curious about the improvisation factor on Glee. You obviously have mad skills there. How much did they come into play?  

MH: Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan let me improvise after we'd done a few takes of each scene. Matthew Morrison, Jayma Mays, and, of course, the amazing Jane Lynch improvised as well, which really made it fun.  

WWEPW: Tell me about your recent trip to Iraq to perform for the troops.  

MH: I went to Iraq and Kuwait over the holidays to do improv for the troops with five other alumni of the Groundlings Theatre here in Los Angeles. They included Wendi McClendon-Covey from RENO 911, Michaela Watkins from SNL, Jordan Black from PUNK'd, Kerri Turner from JAG, and Tim Bagley from MONK and WILL & GRACE. Dave Price from CBS News also accompanied us, doing stand-up. We did 6 shows at 6 different bases. Our "home base" was Camp Victory in Baghdad, and then we either flew by Blackhawk helicopter or were convoyed in armored vehicles called MRAPs (Mine Resistant Ambused Protected) to the other bases. It's a life-changing experience to get to meet the very brave and hard-working troops who are serving overseas. We were sponsored by the organization Stars for Stripes.  

WWEPW: What projects are you currently working on? What's coming up?  

MH: I'm currently playing Scott Bakula's boss Dave on the TNT series MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE created by Ray Romano, starring Ray, Scott, and Andre Braugher. I will also be appearing as Toni Collette's neighbor Ted Mayo on the second season of UNITED STATES OF TARA premiering March 22 on Showtime. If you haven't caught those shows, you're missing out - they're both incredibly well-written. Toni just won the Emmy for her work on the first season of TARA, and it was just announced today that MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE was picked up for a second season.  

A million thanks to Michael Hitchcock for this opportunity. Fans of Glee would love to see Michael return to the show as Dalton Rumba. Few moments were as moving as the deaf choir's performance of "Imagine." I hope they find a way to weave them, and Michael's character, into future episodes. In the meantime, it's great to know that we can enjoy Michael's talent in his current projects. Congratulations to Michael and everyone from MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE on their well-deserved second season.    

Q & A with 'mockumentary' man Michael Hitchcock

"For Your Consideration" screening tonight as part of Osborne Film Fest

By Julie Phillips  |  julie.phillips@onlineathens.com  3/20/2009

Michael Hitchcock is a bit of a chameleon. He's got the kind of face that adapts so easily to the character he's playing, you might not remember the actor himself. But for sure, Hitchcock gets around - he's been in all four legendary "mockumentaries" by director Christopher Guest, played in Joss Whedon's "Serenity," and has had a slew of television appearances.

Guest fans will know him best as the chipper, "Busy Bee"-shouting husband of Parker Posey in "Best in Show," or the local councilman with a crush on Guest's character in "Waiting for Guffman," or the "Hate It" film critic in today's screening of "For Your Consideration."  

Hitchcock, who has a number of relatives in the Atlanta area, will be on hand today to discuss the film (along with fellow Guest alum Fred Willard, who's co-hosting today's screenings).

"For Your Consideration" screens at 4:30 today.  

Here's an excerpt from our interview with Hitchcock:  

ABH: You have a history working in improvisation, but how did you get involved with Christopher Guest?  

Hitchcock: I'm a member of the Groundlings, which is a comedy and improvisational troop here in Los Angeles. And one night I was doing a show, and unbeknownst to me, Christopher Guest was in the audience, which was good I didn't know that so I wasn't nervous. And I found out that he wanted to meet me so I went and I met with him. He doesn't really do auditions per se, he just meets with the people he's interested in. And so we had kind of a lengthy talk, mostly about community theater, because at the time, he was preparing to do "Waiting for Guffman," which is about community theater. And I did community theater as a kid, growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, so I told him some stories about that, and the next thing I knew I had gotten cast in this movie called "Waiting for Guffman," but that's really what got me started in my (film) acting career.  

ABH: Yes, I noticed you're from the Midwest, and of course, "Waiting for Guffman" is set in the Midwest - was that role especially close to your heart?  

Hitchcock: It was, because I kind of got to create that one. I knew that I was going to be playing a councilman that was kind of involved with getting this fictional show up and going. And he asked what I wanted to do, and I said, "Well, I want to play that I'm secretly in love with you and that I really want to be in the show." And he said "Oh, that sounds great," and that's sort of what I did with my (role) in that movie. So I really had a good time in that one - you have a great time in every one of his movies. But that was really really fun. And I named my character after somebody I went to college with, so that was kind of a surprise when my friend Steve Starks saw the movie, and saw his name up there.  

ABH: So you didn't tell your friend beforehand that you'd used his name?  

Hitchcock: (Laughs) No, no I didn't tell him –  

ABH: So what was his reaction?  

Hitchcock: (Laughs) I don't know, he laughed, but I think he gets embarrassed over the years, because it gets brought up quite a bit, and he's a successful producer out here. But it's kind of fun to hear that name bandied about from time to time.  

ABH: Yeah, that's one of the things about Christopher Guest's movies, is that people watch them again and again and know the characters and learn the lines - do you ever get quoted back to yourself?  

Hitchcock: I do every once in a while somebody'll come up and shout "Corky Corky" from "Waiting for Guffman" or yell "Get Busy Bee" from "Best in Show." And it's always a little weird when that happens (laughs), but it's nice that they do it. And every once in a while, they name something and I'm like "What are you talking about?" and then they kind of get into it and it's like "Wow, you really DO know this movie!" (Laughs)  

ABH: Yeah, they are the kind of movies - and I wonder if this is more true for improv - that the more you watch it, the more you get to know the character that the actor was trying to convey. Do you think that might be more true with improvisation?  

Hitchcock: I think so, because with improvisation, since it's being made up as you go along, you're certainly bringing your own knowledge to the character, so I think that absolutely comes out more in our personalities - a little part of our personality pops up. Plus with Christopher, he's such a fantastic director and allows the actors so much creative freedom. And that doesn't happen a whole lot with a regular film or television. And he keeps the sets closed so all these people aren't staring at you that you don't know, and a lot of the crew is the same, so you become friends with them and it makes it a very relaxed working environment. And all of that makes it easier to put yourself out there.  

But the great thing is, many times we'll meet with every creative department and discuss everything from what our hair looks like to the clothing we're going to wear.  

In "Best in Show," I told the hairstylist that my character thinks that he looks like Matthew Perry - which I look nothing like Matthew Perry, but we thought well, my character thinks he does, so we got a photo of Matthew Perry, and we did my hair exactly the way his looked in "Friends." And no one knew that - but it makes me laugh, because you know, people are like that.  

ABH: What about the braces - you and Parker Posey both had braces in "Best in Show" ...  

Hitchcock: Christopher came up with that idea - and I just loved that concept, because our characters were showing dogs, but we're also trying to better ourselves, trying to be these people we're not. So we probably didn't have braces as kids, so now we're getting them. And we talk a lot about labels and brand names and buying things. And Parker and I individually got to pick out furnishings for our home, and we picked out a lot of things from the Sharper Image catalogue.

And in "For Your Consideration," for my character, his name was David van Zyverden, and there was a back history that he was a professor at a college and he was from Dutch ancestry. So we said, well, if he's Dutch and he's Scandinavian, we'll lighten his hair. And I read a million reviews so I could talk like (critics) talk when they're reviewing films.  

ABH: You've been in these films with many of the same actors - do you get to know them so well that you almost anticipate how they'll approach their character?  

Hitchcock: Well, No. 1 I love working with the Christopher Guest ensemble, it's like a family reunion every time we get together. ... And yes, you sort of anticipate what can happen, but you really just don't know. And Christopher doesn't rehearse the scenes, so the first time we're doing dialogue is when the camera is rolling.

I know when we did "A Mighty Wind," my character had to deal a lot with Bob Balaban's character, and I had no idea (he was going to play) a very persnickety man. And you just have to roll with that. The first time he started talking and demanding all these things, that's the first time I knew that's what it was going to be like. It definitely gives you true reactions, because my character's supposed to be a very polite guy that's working with everyone, and he's upsetting me, so it makes it kind of true to form.  

And with Parker Posey and I with best in show, we had kind of a very strange relationship, and a lot of that was happening as we started. And that's what makes those movies so fun, you have to think on your feet all the time.  

ABH: Now, I also read that for the last two holiday seasons you've been performing for troops in Iraq and Kuwait?  

Hitchcock: Yes, it's for an organization called Stars for Stripes, and there's a group of us, mostly from the Groundlings theater, and we do an improvisation all over various army bases ... and it's a fantastic experience. Obviously a bit scary at times, we got shot at twice the first trip - but it's really rewarding and fun to meet people who are stationed in remote parts of Iraq and Baghdad - all over the place. We meet the soldiers and get to know them a little bit before we go to the next location.  

And we do various improvisational games - something like you would see on "Whose Line is it Anyway?" and we try to do a lot of audience participation - a game show setting or having someone interviewed by Dr. Phil, things like that.  

But you meet people from all over America, and I met someone from my home town of Defiance, Ohio - which is a fairly small town, that was really cool. And meeting surgeons who are army reservists, who are there for several months. And everyday soldiers from all walks of life - it's just fantastic to meet them and get to thank them for their service.